Device for sampling flowable material



1 July 21, 1 959 Fil ed Nov; 20, 1957 R. G. VESPER DEVICE FOR SAMPLING FLOWABLE MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2

l INVENTOR. Roland 6. Vesper HIS ATTORNEYS July 21, '1959 R. e. VESPER 35 DEVICE FUR SAMPLING FLOWABLE MATERIAL Filed Nov. 20, 1957 I 2 Sheets-Sheet? INVENTOR. Roland a Vesper I HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 2,895,336 Patented July 21, 1959 DEVICE FOR SAMPLING FLOWABLE MATERIAL Roland G. Vesper, Durango, Colo., assignor to Vanadium Corporation of America, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 20, 1957, Serial No. 697,667

3 Claims. (Cl. 73-424) This invention relates to a device for sampling flowable material in order to obtain a representative small sample from a relatively large amount of the fiowable material. The device is useful in sampling any material that can be pumped or will flow through pipes as, for example, a'water slurry of ores, concentrates, sludge or tailings.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device which will take an accurate sample from a relatively large quantity of flowable material.

A further object is the provision of a sampling device which can be readily adjusted to take different 'size samples and which is of relative simple construction.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevation taken from the righthand end of the device as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 1 showing the means for mounting the cone unit so that it can be adjusted toward and away from the cutter; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 1 but showing the cone unit adjusted to a position closer to the cutter unit than is shown in Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the sampling device comprises a horizontal plate 2 supported by legs 4. This horizontal plate 2 is generally rectangular in shape. An upper horizontal plate 6, also rectangular in shape, is pivoted by a pivot 8 so that it can be swung from the position shown in Figure l to the position shown in Figure 5.

A motor 10 and a speed reducer 12 are mounted on the upper horizontal plate 6, the speed reducer being driven from the motor by a belt 14 passing around a pulley 16 secured to motor shaft 18 and around a pulley 20 secured to gear reducer shaft 22. The gear reducer 12 has an output shaft 24 to which a sprocket 26 is secured.

A vertical plate 28 is secured to and extends upwardly from the front edge of the lower horizontal plate 2. A cutter shaft 30 is rotatably mounted in pillow bearings 32 secured to the front face of the vertical plate 28, the cutter shaft 30 having a sprocket 34 secured to it at its upper end. A cutter designated generally by reference numeral 36 is secured to the lower end of the cutter shaft 30. The cutter 36 comprises two vertically extending, generally triangular shaped plates 38 spaced apart to provide with a front plate 40 a pocket 42 which receives the sample of material and discharges it through an outlet 44 to a receptacle, not shown.

A cone shaft 46 has an outer cone 48 and an inner cone 50 secured to its lower ends, the cones 43 and 50 being spaced apart by spacing blocks 52 as shown in Figure l. The material to be sampled, designated by reference numeral 54 in Figure 2, is fed from a feed pipe 56 into and through the cone shaft 46 to the space between the inner and outer cones 50 and 48 and when the cones and the cutter 36 are rotated as hereinafter described, the are of the cutter intersects the arc of the cones. The material received in the pocket 42 0f the cutter is delivered through the outlet 44 of the cutter.

The outer and inner cones 48 and 50 constitute a cone unit designated generally by reference numeral 58 and this cone unit can be adjusted toward and away from the cutter 36 to vary the amount of intersection between the arc of the cutter and the arc of the cone unit to thereby vary the amount of the sample. In order to provide for this adjustment, the cone shaft 46 is rotatably mounted in pillow block bearings 60 which are secured to a slide 62 supported by and slidable in a guide 64 as shown in Figure 4. The guide 64 is made by slitting a portion 66 of the upper edge of the vertical plate 28 and a portion 68 of the lower edge of the vertical plate 28 and bending the slit portions outwardly and then downwardly to provide an upper flange 70 and a lower flange 72 which receives the slide 62. A bolt 74 is threaded in a nut 76 secured to the vertical plate 28 and has its inner end rotatably secured by means, not shown, to slide 62. By turning the bolt 74, the slide 62, cone shaft 46 and cone unit 58 can be moved toward and away from the cutter 36 to vary the amount of the sample taken by the cutter. The greater the intersection of the arc of the cutter and the arc of the cone units is, the greater is the amount of the sample taken. The vertical plate 28 is provided with two horizontal slots 78 and the slide 62 is provided with two correspondingly located holes 80. Two bolts 82 pass through the slots and holes and are provided with winged nuts 84 for locking the slide 62 in adjusted position in guide 64. A sprocket 86 is secured to the upper end. of the cone shaft 46 and the cone shaft 46 and cutter shaft 3%) are driven by a chain 88 passing around the sprockets 26, 34 and 86.

When the cone unit 58 is moved toward the cutter 36 as shown in Figure 5, the chain 88 would become loose on its sprockets unless some means were provided for tightening it. In order to tighten the chain, the upper horizontal plate 6 is swung into the position shown in Figure 5 about the pivot 8 and then is locked in adjusted position by tightening winged nuts 96 and 92 on bolts 94 and 96 which extend through holes in the upper horizontal plate 6 and through curved slots 98 and 100 in the lower horizontal plate 2.

In the operation of the device, the material 54 to be sampled is supplied from the pipe 56 shown in Figure 2 to the cone shaft 46. It flows through. the shaft and between the inner and outer cones 48 and is delivered from the lower ends of the cones in a cone shaped stream. Assuming that the cone unit 58 and the cutter 36 are rotating, the cutter intersects a portion of the arc of the cone unit on each revolution of the cutter so that the cutter receives a sample which is discharged through the outlet 44. By adjusting the relative positions of the cone unit 58 and the cutter 36 so that they are closer together, the arc of the cone unit intersected by the cutter increases so that the amount of sample taken increases. Thus, samples of various sizes can be taken readily by merely adjusting the relative positions of the cone unit 58 and the cutter 36.

The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment but may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for sampling fiowable material, which comprises a cone unit having an outer and an inner cone spaced from each other, means for rotating said cones as a unit, means for supplying the material to be sampled to the space between said cones, a cutter located below said cone unit and rotatable in an are which intersects the arc of said cone unit, said cutter having a pocket for receiving flowable material discharged from said cone unit and an outlet for discharging said material from said cutterrand means for adjusting the relative positions of said cone unit and said cutter to vary the amount of intersection between the arc of said cutter and the arc of said cone unit to thereby vary the amount of the sample.

2. A device for sampling flowable material, which comprises a lower horizontal plate, a vertical plate secured to said lower horizontal plate, a cutter shaft mounted in bearings supported by said vertical plate, a cutter fixed to said cutter shaft, said cutter having a pocket for receiving flowable material discharged from said cone unit and an outlet for discharging said material from said cutter, a cone shaft supported by said vertical plate, a cone unit having an outer and an inner cone spaced from each other and secured to said cone shaft for rotation as a unit, means for supplying the material to be sampled to the space between said cones, said cutter being located below said cone unit, means for adjusting the relative positions of said cone unit and said cutter to vary the amount of intersection between the arc of said cutter and the arc of said cones to thereby vary the amount of the sample, an upper horizontal plate pivoted to said lower horizontal plate, driving means supported on said upper horizontal plate, driven means fixed to said cutter shaft and said cone shaft, means for driving said 3. A device for sampling flowable material, which comprises a lower horizontal plate, a vertical plate secured to said lower horizontal plate, a cutter shaft mounted in bearings supported by said vertical plate, a cutter fixed to said cutter shaft, said cutter having a pocket for receiving flowable material discharged from said cone unit and an outlet for discharging said material from said cutter, a guide fixed to said vertical plate, a slide movable 'in' said guide, a cone shaft supported by said slide, a cone unit having an outer and an inner cone spaced from each other and secured to said cone shaft for rotation as a unit, means for supplying the material to be sampled to the space between said cones, said cutter being located below said cone unit, means for adjusting said cone unit toward and away from said cutter to vary the amount of intersection between the arc of said cutter and the arc of said cones to thereby vary the amount of the sample, an upper horizontal plate pivoted to said lower horizontal plate, driving means supported on said upper horizontal plate, driven means fixed to said cutter shaft and said cone shaft, means for driving said cutter shaft and said cone shaft from said driving means, and means for locking said upper horizontal cutter shaft and said cone shaft from said driving means, 30

and means for locking said upper horizontal plate in adjusted position relative to said horizontal plate.

Germany Sept. 18, 1934 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1935 l nd 

